Football: Thailand retain AFF Championship after 3-2 aggregate win over Vietnam

BANGKOK – Thailand clinched a record-extending seventh Asean Football Federation Championship title on Monday after pipping Vietnam 1-0 in the second leg of the final at the Thammasat Stadium to win 3-2 on aggregate.

Captain Theerathon Bunmathan scored the winner with a scorcher from outside the box in the 24th minute to help the War Elephants retain their title after a 2-2 draw in the first leg in Hanoi last Friday.

The Buriram United midfielder, who was later named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, then sent the home crowd into raptures again as he lifted the trophy after receiving it from Fifa president Gianni Infantino and AFF president Khiev Sameth.

Two-time winners Vietnam were hoping to give

their coach Park Hang-seo a winning farewell

, with the South Korean ending his five-year stint after this tournament.

But they struggled to make an impression in the opening exchanges against a well-drilled Thai side and it was fitting that Theerathon should put his team in front.

The 32-year-old started and finished the move that saw him receive possession from Adisak Kraisorn some 25 metres out before smashing a right-footed shot into the bottom corner of Dang Van Lam’s goal.

Vietnam threatened only occasionally, with Pham Tuan Hai going closest with a long-range effort in the second half. Thailand were reduced to 10 men after Peeradol Chamrasamee received a second yellow card deep into injury time, but it mattered little.

With the win, Thailand coach Alexandre Polking joins his predecessors Peter Withe (2000, 2002) and Kiatisuk Senamuang (2014, 2016), and ex-Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic (2004, 2007, 2012) in clinching the AFF title at least twice.

Polking, who was hit by the unavailability of some key players before the tournament, said: “We are really happy and proud to be the Asean No. 1 again. We knew it will be a different game and we have to defend well. And we defended very well.” REUTERS